Hafeez will bowl in National T20 Cup for Lahore Whites

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Pakistan’s batting all-rounder Muhammad Hafeez has been allowed to bowl in the National T20 Cup, despite being banned from bowling at international level due to an illegal bowling action.

The 34 year-old off-spinner Hafeez was banned for 12 months by the International Cricket Council in July, but he will bowl for Lahore Whites in country’s domestic T20 competition. Lahore is scheduled to play their opening match today against Islamabad at Pindi Cricket Stadium.

Hafeez, who is banned for bowling internationally can bowl in domestic circuit after getting permission from officials of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) which he luckily did.

An ICC official quoted that if a bowler is banned internationally he still can bowl in domestic cricket if he gets permission from his home board, the logic behind this is to give him and his board an opportunity to monitor his action and when happy they can apply for reassessment.

Pakistan’s former T20 captain Hafeez was first reported in November 2014 when Greenshirts were playing a Test match against New Zealand in United Arab Emirates (UAE), soon he was banned from bowling after a test at the Loughborough University in Leicestershire. But he was cleared in a reassessment test in April at Chennai’s Sri Ramachandra University.

However, the Professor was under fire once again when he was reported at Galle while playing a Test match against Sri-Lanka this year in June, Hafeez again visited Chennai but this time the final report revealed a bend of his elbow beyond 15-degree tolerance mark and after that he was banned for 12 months.

The permission from PCB means that Hafeez will also bowl in the most awaited Pakistan Super League(PSL) which will take place at Doha in February 2016, currently he is No.2 in ICC’s Rankings of T20 all-rounders. It is also expected that Hafeez will captain one of the five major teams in the PSL, as he is one of the most experienced T20 player in Pakistan.